Android isn't hurting for endless runners, but at this point, most of them don't bring anything new to the table. That can't be said of Alto's Adventure, a new iOS port from prolific publisher Noodlecake and developer Snowman. What it lacks in revolutionary design it makes up for in pure, dripping style: everything from the pastel coloring to the shifting weather to the smooth 2D animations oozes with careful design. If you're tired of a never-ending parade of "retro" 8-bit games on mobile, Alto's Adventure might just be the cure.

The gameplay itself isn't all that interesting. Your player character snowboards down a gently-sloping mountain, chasing llamas, grabbing coins, jumping over rocks, and grinding on improbably load-bearing bunting. You gain extra points by flipping with the one-touch control scheme, avoiding a wipeout by landing board down. It's pretty standard, but the atmosphere (and the lack of any real challenge) almost puts Alto's Adventure into the nebulous "zen" category.

Alto's Adventure is a free-to-play game, with all that that entails, but it isn't particularly annoying about it. Coins can be spent on extending a failed run, but players also have the option to watch an ad. Coins can also be spent on various power-ups. At the moment there's only one in-app purchase, a $4 option to double your coin intake.

Comments

Did not get a chance to try this on iOS when it was exclusive there. It's nice to see such a stylish & fun game hit android. great gameplay and gorgeous visuals!

Martin

Missed the jump in the tutorial, and didn't respawn. Restarted the tutorial, missed the jump again, and once again didn't respawn. I'll wait for an update until i try again.

Abz Productions

same! lol i had to try like 5 times then i got it.

64bitprocessor

Damn it, it's free and we know what that means ... :(

EDIT: Hmm, the article says the IAP's are very low key, therefore I will take a look.

Timesalami

Actually so far it's not bad, the only ads I've really seen were when you die you have the opportunity to watch a video for a free respawn. other than that it's pretty good about the ads. give it a shot :)

SmithCommaJohn

I've been looking forward to the Android version of this game for a while, and I was really disappointed when I heard it was going free to play.

But having played the game, it seems like you can get the full experience without spending a dime or watching a single ad.